The Legend of Zelda: Tides of Time
by Suzhu93
Summary: A forest boy and a young princess met unexpectedly at the Market Town. One of them was searching to fulfill his destiny while the other was trying to avoid hers. Only time will tell if their paths were first entwined by mere casualty or by the action of fate itself, a fate that will forge their legend as well as the bonds between them as they fight together to save Hyrule.


**~The Legend of Zelda: Tides of Time~**

_**Chapter 1: **_**Forbidden Roads**

His feet dashed across the tricky road before him as his tired breath filled his lungs with every desperate gasp that he inhaled to quench his thirst for air. The only brief stops that he would make in the middle of his way were to check at the branched paths that kept popping in front of him. The boy chose to run to the left, but a dead end pulled his aching legs towards the opposite direction. His blue eyes peeked frantically at every open passage on the walls that enclosed his route, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Kokiri's sacred treasure.

His long elf-like ears jolted in surprise at the sound of a heavy crash behind him. It had reached him, a deadly trap, which only purpose and duty was to crush intruders and defend the hidden prize that rested silently within the ancient walls of the maze. The boy turned his head to take a glance of the sturdy mass rolling behind him, causing him to squeak in fear. The rock was not only closer than he imagined, it was approaching him fast and he was running out of stamina.

Some undesired tears clouded his sapphire-like eyes; the boy knew that if a miracle didn't save him soon, he was going to die under the boulder's massive weight. His small hands wiped away those salty drops as well as some sweaty strands of his golden hair. Clenching his teeth with fury, the forest kid cursed under his breath: "It's all Mido's fault!"

His young mind had no problems in recalling the events of that cold morning of spring, when the self-proclaimed boss of the Kokiri and his gang teased him underneath the greyish skies of the forest. They had pushed him to the ground and kicked him mercilessly as their noisy laughter pierced his brain. Mido called it a "punishment", though everybody knew that it was nothing but a new excuse to abuse of the boy without a fairy. The reason of his so-deserved penalty? To dream of walking out of the forest and explore the outside world.

You see, even though the Kokiri tribe was only composed of kids, there were still a series of rules to follow. For example, "Every true member of the tribe shall be accompanied by a fairy to guide him and protect him without exception. The Great Deku Tree himself shall always grant this magical sidekick to his children when the right time comes."

Our friend could be now considered old enough (if it wasn't because the Kokiri never age) to have a fairy by his side, however, he was never blessed with one, and for some reason that made him target of the other's pranks and jokes. Perhaps the right time hadn't still arrived for him or perhaps he was just a "defective-twerp" like Mido always said. Lacking of a fairy companion and his craving for knowledge and exploring of the faraway lands beyond the Kokiri Forest had turned him into some kind of freak before the tribe's eyes. There was only one Kokiri in the entire community that would treat him with the care and respect that he deserved.

Saria, a green haired-girl that he had known since he could remember. She was loved and admired by the Kokiri for her kindness and passive nature; her musical skills with the ocarina enchanted them as well as the creatures of the forest that seemed to follow her everywhere. The Kokiri usually fought each other just to hang out with her, but of all of them, the boy without a fairy was Saria's most beloved friend.

She understood his desire to walk through the forbidden roads; the western path would lead him to the mysterious outside world, where as the law said: "If a Kokiri dares to leave the forest and the protection of the Great Deku Tree, his fate shall be no other than an instant death." While the eastern road would take him to the Great Deku Tree's Grove, where he hoped to find the answers to his multiple questions.

Some minutes after Mido and his gang had left him in a battered state, Saria ran to his side and treated his wounds. While she cleaned the multiple cuts and scrapes on the boy's arms he told her his plan to find the Kokiri's hidden treasure and use it defend himself on his way to the Great Deku Tree. Of course, Saria insisted in telling him to drop that reckless idea, but the boy without a fairy was determined to change his life. He would cross the treacherous path to the grove, which was infested with man-eating plants, monsters and other hideous creatures just to demand an answer from his deity. He needed to know why a fairy had never come to his side, why did everybody treat him as if he was an outsider... Why did he always felt like if something within him was missing…?

Now, on his quest to defy Mido by being the first Kokiri to find the hidden treasure, the boy without a fairy regretted to have ignored Saria's warning. He was going to die and all because of his own stubbornness. The rolling boulder was on his heels now, it was time to raise his sight to the heavens and pray to the Goddesses. At least his soul would find some peace in the other world, that would be his final wish. However, when the boy was about to say his prayers, a big bird figure flew across the clouded sun, drawing strange patterns with its flight.

The boy rubbed his eyes in astonishment, swearing that the odd silhouette belonged to an owl. What was an owl doing outside at that time of the day? He would never know, but he was grateful to see him, for the owl seemed to be guiding him to the hidden treasure. After a couple of hurried turns and dashes, the boy managed to avoid the giant rock behind him by tossing his own body into a secret entrance with a swift jump. He landed onto the hard ground as the accumulated momentum that he had gained caused him to roll without control until he crashed against a lonely tree stump.

The boy shook his head in an attempt to snap out of his dizziness and dusted off his green clothes as he got back on his feet. His blue eyes were widened in wonder as he glimpsed a glimmer of steel before him. There it was, the legendary blade of the forest, the Kokiri Sword. Its hilt was crafted with the precious wood of the trees of old and a small shining ruby embellished the weapon's rustic beauty, making the sword even more stunning than he had imagined it would be. Our young adventurer glanced back to the greyish skies and spotted the giant owl as it flapped its wings away.

"Thank you!" the boy yelled as his hands cupped his mouth to amplify the sound of his voice.

Then, he turned to face the blade once again and approached it slowly with the intention of yanking it out of the stump were the ancient hero of the Kokiri had thrust it decades ago. The boy let out a soft sigh and gripped the sword's hilt ready to change his fate forever…

**x~x~x~x~x**

The giant owl flew out of the Kokiri Forest, sending a thoughtful glance to the boscage that surrounded it. The Lost Woods where the natural barrier that kept the Great Deku Tree's children safe from the perils and maleficence of the outside world, preserving the beauty of the forest and the innocence of the Kokiri for eternity. It is said that anyone who dares to venture into the Lost Woods would never find his way out of them and thus, he would fell under their curse, turning him into a Stalfos, a skeletal warrior with no other purpose than to wander aimlessly in search of opponents to fight until the end of time.

A similar destiny awaited the Kokiri who would rather disobey the Great Deku Tree's law and travel into the Lost Woods. According to the myth, children would be transformed into Skull Kids. These creatures meant no evil to the world; they are nothing but mischievous beings that will tend to be friendly to kids, but a thread to adults. Though there was one Kokiri who would never lose her way within these deceiving woods, Saria. The owl had spotted the green-haired girl as she made her way to the Sacred Forest Meadow. Soon the playful melody of her ocarina would fill the silence of the wilderness and the Skull Kids would come out of their hiding to join her with their own flutes. As he flew by, a soft smile seemed to grace the owl's features and this one took height to leave the many mysteries of the forest behind as he approached his next destination, Hyrule Castle Town.

**x~x~x~x~x**

The sun was setting in the horizon by the time in which the giant bird arrived to the Castle Town. His big round eyes glanced at the merchants and the townsfolk as they closed their stores and booth stalls, ready to head back to their own homes. A row of Hyrulean knights marched towards the market to perform their daily night guard duty as a curious amount of stray mutts appeared from the back alleys to roam the empty streets, much to the soldiers' annoyance.

The owl chuckled silently at that amusing sight and then headed towards the Hyrule Castle. His large wings drove him stealthy above the magnificent courtyards and gardens where more knights were gathering to defend the Royal Family's sleep. Some windows were lighted as soon as the dusk covered the land and the owl commanded his wings to take him towards one of the highest towers of the castle where one lonely window remained unlit. A small shadow seemed to move behind it though, informing the great owl that the resident of that royal chamber wasn't asleep. With a graceful midair spin, the bird managed to land quietly on the tower's rooftop and perched his big body on one of the many stone gargoyles that rested on the edges of the antique building.

"Ahem!" the owl grunted as if he were clearing his throat and then proceeded to knock on the window with his beak.

The person inside that room threw the glass doors open almost immediately, causing the bird to flap his wings in surprise. Some brown feathers were scattered in the air and the owl followed them down with a bothered stare as they fell softly around him.

"Oh, Gaebora…! You scared me!" a young girl with short blonde hair sighed in relief as she leaned on the window's frame "I thought you were Lady Impa or something worse…"

"I scared you?!" the owl exclaimed jokingly, making an indignant stance "My dear Princess, if you keep open your windows like that, you'll soon leave me bald! These old feathers of mine are not as strong and healthy as they used to be…!"

The young princess giggled softly and apologized for her rash behavior in response "I'm sorry Gaebora… It's just that… I'm a little nervous, that's all." She shrugged.

The owl twisted his head upside down, examining the girl's outfit carefully. She was wearing a light blue dress with just some simple and humble details on its short sleeves and skirt. Her golden hair was hanging above her shoulders, free from any ties except for a small braid that rested on the back of her mane. Some rebellious bangs covered her eyebrows and her features were clean and not covered with any type of make up as usual. Gaebora tilted his head as he stared at the girl's feet, noticing that she was standing on the cold ceramic floor completely bare-footed.

"Say, Princess…" the owl whispered worriedly "Those clothes you're wearing… are not exactly pajamas, are they?"

"Oh, you like them?" the girl chuckled as she extended her skirt and spun delicately to show off her dress with pride "I found it among some other stuff in the charity basket the other week, doesn't it make me look like a normal town girl?" she asked in delight.

"Yes, it does but—what are you planning to do with it?" he paused for a moment and then gasped in disapproval "Princess Zelda, don't tell me that you're planning to run away from the castle!"

The young princess' excitement vanished from her features as the great owl proceeded to scowl her.

"You can't just flee from your duties and responsibilities; you're the Princess and Hyrule's future Queen, for Nayru's sake! What will your father, the King say if he finds you like this, huh?! Have you even paid attention to your teachers' lessons?!"

"Oh c'mon, Gaebora!" Princess Zelda protested "I thought that I could count with you for this! You know I can't tell Impa about it, she'd go straight to my father and—!"

"Of course she'd do that! Your place is in the castle with your books, your teachers, and your father. The Market Town has nothing to offer you, but danger and calamities…"

"Calamities, huh?" the girl whispered, resting her chin in her hand "Well, I have discovered that there are worse things in life than just calamities…" Zelda leaned towards the owl and crossed her arms "You remember that man from the desert, the dark clouds of my dream?"

Gaebora nodded, sensing concern in the princess' voice "Aye. Have you talked about that matter with the King yet?"

"Humph! Yeah, right!" Zelda replied, turning her face away "That old man won't listen to a word I say! And on top of that he wants to arrange marriage between that creepy Gerudo and me!" She turned back to face him, wiping some tears away from her glimmering eyes "Do you get the point now, Gaebora?!"

"I see…" the owl sighed "What an unfair fate for such a young princess…"

"Right, but you know what? I won't give up so easily!" the princess walked into her chamber and returned moments later holding various meters of tied blankets. She then hooked them to her window's frame and threw the improvised rope onto the rooftop.

"You think that escaping from your problems and fears will make your life any easier?"

"Gaebora…" the young girl sighed, "When has my life ever been easy, huh? You know, I'm not exactly eager to do this… I love Hyrule and I wish to rule this prosperous land… I'd like to be the great Queen that my mother used to be, but…"

"I understand, your highness…" the owl smiled "However, I don't think that your rope can handle the weight of a ten-year-old and even if it does, the soldiers out there will most likely spot you sooner or later…. Not only that, Lady Impa is surely hiding somewhere in the shadows, keeping her sharp eyes on you…!"

"So…?" Princess Zelda stammered nervously, thinking it better.

"Ho ho ho…! Well isn't it obvious? You must leave this to me, the old Kaepora Gaebora!"

"You'll take me to the Market Town?!" the girl asked in excitement.

"It's the least I can do for you, my Princess." Kaepora Gaebora said, making a small bow "Grab my talons and hold on tight! Hoot hoot!"

Princess Zelda did as said, letting the giant owl take her into the now clear starry skies of her kingdom. They flew over the Hylian Knights as they patrolled the area, unaware that the young heir of the throne was just above their heads. Zelda giggled as she thought of this and raised her head to share a warm grateful smile with Gaebora.

"Thank you, old friend…"

He returned the smile and then focused back on the horizon before him _"You're the second one to speak kind words of gratefulness to me today… I wish I could save you from doing so, for I am only playing my role as the architect of your fate. I didn't help you both just because of my benevolent nature, I know that my actions will have consequences and hopefully that will bring you two together… The destiny of Hyrule rests on your shoulders now, I only hope that I haven't dragged you to forbidden roads…" _

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

This is my first Legend of Zelda fanfic, so I will gratefully appreciate any advice or complaint that you can give me to make this story better.

Thank you!~


End file.
